Posted on 06/07/2022 10:37:52 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
The Tempe, Arizona, cops who refused to rescue a drowning man were following their training, a local police union said.
Members of the Tempe Police Department receive "no training in water rescues," the union said.
Sean Bickings, 34, died on May 28 after he jumped into a lake and drowned while police stood by.
The Tempe, Arizona, cops who refused to rescue a man drowning in an area lake were following their training by not jumping in to save him, according to the local police union.
Members of the Tempe Police Department receive "no training in water rescues" and do not have "equipment to help people at risk of drowning," the Tempe Officers Association — which represents officers of the Tempe police force — said in a statement to Insider on Tuesday.
"Attempting such a high-risk rescue could easily result in the death of the person in the water and the officer, who could be pulled down by a struggling adult," the union said. "Officers are trained to call the Fire Department and/or get the Tempe Police boat. That is what officers did here."
Three Tempe police officers have been put on paid leave as the department investigates their response to the May 28 drowning of 34-year-old Sean Bickings.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
As the saying goes, "He chose Poorly" (the victim)
In before the “cops are useless” crowd.
People are welcome to donate to the Tempe Arizona police for life rings for their patrol cars.
There are several large bodies of water within the Tempe city boundary. One would think basic life saving skills would be part of their training.
I’m with you on this one. A panic stricken adult could pull you down with them. I’d sure as heck throw every floaty I could find their way and I’d feel damned guilty the rest of my life, but I’d be very reluctant to go. If it were a kid though... I’d go for it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let a kid drown.
2 things:
1. The LEOs told him not to get in the water and he did it anyway. What is it with blacks refusing to comply with police directions?...especially if the cop(s) are white.
2. Attempting to rescue a drowning person when you haven’t had the proper training will get YOU dead.
Perhaps they can each carry a life preserver in the trunk of their patrol car.
So we call 911 why?
Good for the cops. They should not jump in. They are not trained life guards. They have 40lbs of gear and wear a heavy Kevlar vest. They do not carry water rescue tubes. The cops would be dead trying to rescue a panicked drowning man.
I before, This isn’t from the Bee?
I know if I saw someone in distress in the water, I would try to save them (or at least, I hope that I would).
But that is me as a private citizen, and that risk of being drowned by the victim is a very real one.
Nobody is (or should be) compelled to give their lives. Granted, if you are a lifeguard that is your job, and you have training. We expect that of them.
But who knows about those police officers? Look at the image, fully clothed, with all their equipment...without real training, jumping into 20 feet of water...that is no small thing. People will say “Oh, they could have stripped off their gear and dove in”.
Sure. You could have two victims instead of one.
The drowned man is black. Are they trying to make a racial incident out of it?
Who cares?
What if it were a cop’s wife, or a ladies auxiliary member, or 911 affirmative action hire, who was emotionally distraught and did something extra foolish?
What then, Mr. Skin?
I don’t fault the cops on this. The clown jumped in as a way of giving the cops the finger. Then he couldn’t swim as well as he thought. I can barely swim at all so I wouldn’t jump in to “save” anybody. Unless aquatic lifeguarding is a job requirement (in a desert state no less), the cops are blameless here. The guy must have really wanted that Darwin Award.
Saving a drowning illegal alien didn’t work out to well for a national guardsman!!!
Not only panicked but crazy and unpredictable
>>> In before the “cops are useless” crowd. <<<
For the record I am one of the folks who’d like to do away with urban, Democrat/union run police departments, restore Constitutional carry, and restore the authority of elected and accountable sheriffs.
That said, the cops in this case were spot on. Trying to rescue someone who doesn’t want to be rescued is a fool’s errand and I’m happy to see that Tempe has a couple smarter-than-average guys on their force.
Let’s hope Tempe keeps them.
“This isn’t from the Bee?”
Since somebody died....I wish it was.
“To NOT Protect and NOT Serve and Get a Generous Pension”
If ones looking for an excuse, they certainly have one. No heroes there, that’s for sure.
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